1. Field
The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and, more particularly, to a refrigerator having a door opening device which allows a user to easily open a door of the refrigerator.
2. Description of the Related Art
A refrigerator is an apparatus which freshly stores food in a freezing or cooling compartment for a long period of time, where a chiller room is separately provided at the rear of the freezing compartment, an evaporator is disposed in the chiller room, cool air generated in the evaporator according to operation of a compressor is compulsorily supplied into the freezing compartment or the cooling compartment, and warm air having an increased temperature is made to return to the chiller room, thereby freezing or cooling the inside of the freezing compartment or the cooling compartment.
When the door of the refrigerator is opened for a specific period of time and then closed in order to store or take goods in or out of the refrigerator, a large amount of humid and hot air existing outside the refrigerator quickly flows into the refrigerator.
The outside air which has flowed into the refrigerator is quickly cooled at a low temperature inside the refrigerator, and the volume of the air is contracted. Accordingly, the inside of the refrigerator is maintained at an air pressure (hereinafter, referred to as a “negative pressure”) which is slightly lower than an atmospheric pressure outside the refrigerator for a certain period of time.
Accordingly, if the door of the refrigerator is intended to be opened in a state where the negative pressure is generated in the refrigerator, the negative pressure should be compulsorily removed to open the door of the refrigerator.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, Korean Patent Laid-open Publication No. 10-2001-72250 discloses a refrigerator having a lever handle for a door, which allows a user to open the door with a small force.
The refrigerator disclosed in the Publication includes a heating insulating housing with an open front surface; a drawer type door which covers a front opening of the heating insulating housing; a pivotal support handle which is connected to the drawer type door for movement between opened and closed positions to open and close the drawer type door; a trigger member which is coupled to the handle to interwork with the handle for movement between advanced and retreated positions and is engaged with an edge of the opening of the heating insulating housing. The trigger member includes a pressing surface, which is formed as a single body with the trigger member and presses the trigger member to its advanced position from its retreated position according to the movement of the handle from its closed position to its opened position, and a drawing surface, which is formed as a single body with the trigger member and returns the trigger member to its retreated position from its advanced position according to the movement of the handle from its opened position to its closed position. When the handle is maintained at its closed position, the trigger member is spaced from the contact surface of the edge of the opening of the heating insulating housing by a specific distance.
Accordingly, the trigger member advances and retreats in connection with the rotation of the handle. The trigger member should be pushed or pulled by forming a pressing surface and a drawing surface on the handle.
In the above-mentioned conventional refrigerator, one end of the trigger member should be disposed between the pressing surface and the drawing surface formed at an end portion of the handle. The end portion of the handle may be separated between the pressing surface and the drawing surface due to reduction of durability as the door is frequently opened and closed, thereby causing a breakdown.
Further, in the conventional refrigerator, since a single trigger member is disposed at a portion opposite to a hinge portion of the door hinge-coupled to the refrigerator or an upper portion of the drawer type door which is slidably opened and closed, there is a problem that the door is not smoothly opened.
Particularly, in a so-called French type refrigerator, where the cooling compartment and the freezing compartment are disposed on the upper and lower sides, the door capable of being opened and closed laterally is disposed on the cooling compartment of the upper side, and a drawer type door is disposed on the freezing compartment of the lower side, and the width of the cooling compartment and the freezing compartment is larger than that of a general refrigerator. Accordingly, if the user opens the door of the freezing compartment, the user should exert a large force on the door due to the weight of the door and the weight of goods stored in the drawer.
In a case where a single trigger member disclosed in the Publication is used for the door of the freezing compartment of the French type refrigerator, there is a problem that it is difficult to easily open and close the door.